Washington Administrative Code
Title 246 - Health, Department of
RADIATION
Chapter 246-244 - Radiation protection - Wireline services
Section 246-244-020 - Definitions

(1) "Casing" means a metal pipe or tube used as a lining for oil or gas wells to prevent collapse of the well-bore.

(2) "Energy compensation source" (ECS) means a small sealed source, with an activity not exceeding 3.7 MBq (100 microcuries), used within a logging tool, or other tool components, to provide a reference standard to maintain the tool's calibration when in use.

(3) "Field station" means a facility where radioactive sources may be stored or used and from which equipment is dispatched to temporary job sites.

(4) "Fresh water aquifer" means a geological formation that is capable of yielding a significant amount of fresh water to a well or spring.

(5) "Injection tool" means a device used for controlled subsurface injection of radioactive tracer material.

(6) "Irretrievable well-logging source" means any sealed source containing licensed material that is pulled off or not connected to the wireline that suspends the source in the well and for which all reasonable effort at recovery has been expended.

(7) "Logging assistant" means an individual who assists the logging supervisor in performing the well-logging operations.

(8) "Logging supervisor" means an individual who provides personal supervision of the use of licensed material at the temporary job site and who is responsible to the licensee for assuring compliance with requirements of the department's regulations and the conditions of the license.

(9) "Logging tool" means a device used subsurface to perform well-logging.

(10) "Mineral logging" means any logging performed for the purpose of mineral (including water) exploration other than oil or gas.

(11) "Personal supervision" means guidance and instruction by the supervisor who is physically present at the job site and watching the performance of the operation in such proximity that contact is maintained and immediate assistance given as required.

(12) "Radioactive marker" means licensed material used for the purpose of depth determination or direction orientation. This term includes radioactive collar markers and radioactive iron nails.

(13) "Sealed source" means any licensed material that is encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the radioactive material.

(14) "Source holder" means the housing or assembly into which a radioactive source is placed for the purpose of facilitating the handling and use of such source in well-logging operations.

(15) "Subsurface tracer study" means, for the purpose of this chapter, the release of unsealed licensed material or a substance labeled with licensed material in a single well or multiple wells for the purpose of tracing the movement or position of the material or substance in the well-bore or adjacent formation(s) (this term does not include the use of licensed material in field flooding studies).

(16) "Surface casing" means a pipe or tube used as a lining in a well to isolate the fresh water zone from the well.

(17) "Temporary job site" means any location to which radioactive materials have been dispatched or taken to perform wireline service operations or subsurface tracer studies.

(18) "Tritium neutron generator target source" means a tritium source used within a neutron generator tube to produce neutrons for use in well-logging applications.

(19) "Uranium sinker bar" means a weight containing depleted uranium used for the purpose of providing additional force to pull a logging tool down toward the bottom of a well.

(20) "Well-bore" means any drilled hole in which wireline service operations and/or subsurface tracer studies are performed.

(21) "Well-logging" means the lowering and raising of measuring devices or tools which contain sources of radiation into well-bores or cavities (salt domes, etc.) for the purpose of obtaining information about the well and/or adjacent formations which may be used in oil, gas, mineral or geological explorations.

(22) "Well-logging operation" means any activity involving licensed material performed in a well, including well-logging, mineral logging, subsurface tracer studies, use of radioactive markers, radioactive iron nails, uranium sinker bars, and radioactive sands, and transportation or storage of same.

(23) "Wireline" means a cable containing one or more electrical conductors which is used to lower and raise logging tools in the well-bore.

(24) "Wireline service operation" means any evaluation or mechanical service which is performed in the well-bore using devices containing radioactive material on a wireline.